Effectively a rear-wheel drive two-seater (well, it’s an ‘emergency’ four-seater) you could argue the GT86 only competes with the Mazda MX-5 in its price bracket. If you had another ten grand the BMW 125i looks like a good bet. Continue reading “Toyota: 2015 GT86 review” »

When I did judo as a kid we were taught techniques after being thrown that would make it difficult for your opponent to turn you onto your back to avoid osaekomi waza, or pinning techniques. You made yourself low and wide to hug the mat, and adjusted your bodyweight to stay flat. This is what the Audi TT feels like to drive. It feels as if you wouldn’t be able to turn it over to expose the soft underbelly. Around the corners its grappling technique with the tarmac is black belt, sports car quality. Continue reading “Audi: 2015 TT Coupe S Line review” »

The RC350 is a car you could put anywhere and it would still photograph beautifully. It was by chance that I had booked a trip to Ohakune in order to do the Tongariro Crossing on the same weekend that I had the RC350. I honestly could have spent a whole day finding vistas that included snow-capped Mount Ruapehu, but as it was, Ohakune Mountain Rd and its sinuous rise to the ski fields of Ruapehu set the scene. The brilliant blue sky did the rest, but the Lexus still stole the show. Continue reading “Lexus: 2015 RC350 F Sport review” »

The Honda CR-Z is a hybrid sports hatchback that harks back to the original CR-X which was built from 1983-91. The flat back and split rear windscreen are the signature elements, and it retains its two-door design with rear seats simply there for show as opposed to being able to fit anyone in them. Continue reading “Honda: 2015 CR-Z Sport review” »

The 4 Series is BMW’s answer to Audi’s A5, and I quite like the A5. The A5 slots between the A4 and A6, just as the 4 Series slots between the venerable 3 Series and the quite mighty 5 Series. The 4 Series follows BMW’s even-numbered coupe nomenclature as opposed to the odd-numbered sedans, and therefore it cuts a fine sleek line as it drives slowly towards the car park that is nearer to the front door of the office than that of the minions.

It shares the same basic undergarments as the 3 Series but is 26mm longer, 43mm wider and 16mm lower. This means that the 4 Series looks like a trained boxer, all squat and ready to pounce compared to the more relaxed 3 Series. Continue reading “BMW: 2014 435i Coupe review” »

I stepped out of the BMW M4 (read the review here) and into the M235i expecting a significant downgrade, but I was wrong. The M235i is the swift dagger to the M4’s broadsword; it feels lighter and sharper and less likely to require two hands.

The M4 is capable of wreaking much more havoc, but the M235i is still a weapon wielded in the right hands given that it comes with a three-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine producing 240kW and 450Nm of torque. This means a 4.8-second dash to 100kph and enough overtaking power to give the traction control something to think about at 70kph. Continue reading “BMW: 2014 M235i Coupe review” »

The M4 is like someone took my shopping list, bought everything on it but on impulse sneaked in an extra packet of bacon. And I like bacon. It’s got the power and the noise, the looks and the toys to keep me happy. I don’t need rear seat practicality and I will put up with the tight squeeze in the boot because this is a coupe and that’s what coupes do: they make compromises in carrying capacity in order to look nicer. Continue reading “BMW: 2014 M4 Coupe review” »

As Kia’s first truly sporty car (the Sportage most definitely is not sporty), the Cerato Koup Turbo straddles the line between performance coupe and hot hatch(of which it has just released one in New Zealand in the form of the Pro_cee’d GT with the same engine, which hopefully we’ll be driving soon). Continue reading “Kia Cerato Koup Turbo 2014 review” »